


Crossing Worldlines

by coffee_o



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Love Live Secret Santa 2018, Worldlines, parallel worlds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 06:05:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17136371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffee_o/pseuds/coffee_o
Summary: They weren’t always childhood friends.It took Chika some time to accept this - and it hit her even harder than the knowledge that You didn’t always join Aqours in other worldlines.And it was the realization that You wasn’t her childhood friend that Chika finally acknowledged that there was something wrong in this world - in this madness that she was dragged into.She shouldn’t be here.(In which Chika finds herself trapped in different worldlines.)





	Crossing Worldlines

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aethkr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aethkr/gifts).



> For Kai as part of the secret santa gift exchange on twt/tumblr!! (also, thank you @R0gue for helping me look through this!!) 
> 
> This whole thing is kinda vague but basically it’s a “for some reason Chika finds herself trapped in different wordlines and tries to get back to her original worldline” AU, mainly based on the prompts of "reunion" and "fate" and a bit of "retrospective"!!

**i: a.**

 

The same sights, the same scenery, the same home.

 

It still baffled Chika how everything looked, felt and even sounded as it always had. The scent of the Uchiura sea, the smell of _home_ and the familiar light breeze that brushed against her skin. It’s part of the reason why she was able to stay calm. The briny and crisp scent of Uchiura always had a soothing effect on her, and she was able to relax, even if only a little.

 

There didn’t seem to be any huge changes. She was still a second-year student at Uranohoshi Girls’ High School, still a school idol in an idol group called Aqours, and they were still aiming for Love Live! to save their school from closing down.

 

There were minute differences that were easy to overlook (and not to think about too much) - Kanan being the student council vice-president, the school’s staircase was by the left end of the hallway instead of the middle, You didn't seem to hate sashimi, and other details that Chika noticed but never really paid any attention to.

 

One day, she had woken up and just found herself… _here_.

 

She knew something was different - it was like a sixth sense, a sort of tingle of unease that stirred at the bottom of her stomach, growing steadily when she realized things weren’t _the same._

 

Yet, her friends and school stayed largely the same and Chika was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

 

Optimistically believing that this was probably a dream, Chika figured that she would return back to her normal world soon.

 

How wrong she was.

 

* * *

 

**i: b.**

 

“Chika-chan?”

 

A slight poke against her cheeks.

 

“Five...more minutes…” Chika groaned into her pillow, her voice muffled.

 

A light chuckle from the other occupant in the room was the only warning Chika had before she felt her world turn upside down as she rolled over and landed on her bedroom floor, wincing at the pain of the impact.

 

“Wake up, Chika-chan! It’s already 7 am!”

 

“You-chan…” Chika winced at the sudden brightness from her opened curtains, squinting as she tried to avoid the glare of the sunlight. She groaned once more when she glanced over to the alarm clock by her bedside table.

 

“Practice starts earlier today, remember?” You pinched the other girl’s cheeks playfully. “Usually, you’ll be up and ready to go.”

 

Chika blinked. _Ah_. Yet another discrepancy between this and her worldline. She filed that thought away in favor of focusing on what was happening before her. You was in her usual summer training outfit, her cap over her slightly messy hair.

 

“Hurry up, Riko-chan’s already waiting outside. So is Yoshiko-chan.”

 

“Eh? Yoshiko-chan too?”

 

“I dragged her here.” You looked proud and Chika could only feel sorry for the self-acclaimed fallen angel.

 

Chika briefly wondered how You was able to get Yoshiko here as she finally got to her feet and sluggishly made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

 

* * *

 

**iii.**

 

By the third time, Chika finally came to three conclusions:

 

_One,_ she had been repeating the week three times.

 

_Two,_ she probably wasn’t in the same world each time she repeated the week.

 

_Three,_  she had no idea how to get back to her original worldline.

 

* * *

 

**iv.**

 

You didn’t always join Aqours.

 

It had come as a shock to Chika. You had always been right next to her. Even in Aqours, with the rest of their friends, You was her anchor, her best friend, her voice of reason. The one who often gave her courage. Aqours was something she had wanted to do _together_ with You, something they could get excited about, something that could make them _shine_.

 

Aqours wasn’t whole without You.

 

There was now a distance between them, one present in the awkward half-smiles that they greeted each other with when they saw each other in class, right before You ended up surrounded by their classmates.

 

The odd distance and how they treated each other as if they were half strangers made her heart lurch and her insides to curl.

 

It was one of the worst feelings - You was always near her, yet she couldn’t summon the courage to actually talk to her properly. She wanted to talk to You, she _needed_ to talk to her, to hear her voice and laugh again, to know that her best friend hadn’t forgotten about her, yet Chika wasn’t able to do anything.

 

She hated feeling this way; You was her best friend, shouldn’t she be able to talk to her? Even if You wasn’t able to join Aqours, they should still be best friends. What happened in this worldline? What had the Takami Chika here done (or not done)?

 

Even Riko could tell that something was up between them. Riko had offered her assistance, but Chika had only shaken her head, brushing her away as she plastered on a reassuring smile.

 

She didn’t even know why she was hesitating. Was this how the future would turn out if You didn’t join Aqours in her worldline?

 

Chika shuddered at the thought of how it could’ve happened to her, and all of the sudden, she felt sick in her stomach.

 

She canceled practice that day.

 

* * *

  
**v.**

 

“You...chan.” The words almost felt foreign in her tongue as their eyes met.

 

There was a slight pause before an answer came. “Chika-chan?”

 

Chika hated how she felt a wave of relief immediately after the hesitant acknowledgment from You. But You was right before her. You didn’t avoid her like she thought she would.

 

It was one of those moments where Chika had wished for - to be able to talk to You alone, and now that they had accidentally bumped into each other in the empty hallways, Chika wished that her natural socialness would work its magic. Having been together with You for a long time, Chika could immediately tell that there was something that was bothering You. This was also her chance, and she was going to try to mend their relationship.

 

“How are you-”

 

“How’s Aqou-”

 

They both started at the same time, and You immediately averted her gaze awkwardly.

 

Chika opened her mouth to say something again, but they were interrupted by the appearance of a junior who looked out of breath.

 

“You-senpai!” The girl huffed, trying to catch her breath, her panicked expression instantly made You alert and alarmed. “I’ve been looking all over for you! Practice is going to start soon and the captain won’t be happy if you’re late today!”

 

“B-But-” You looked at Chika and back at her underclassman, conflicted. Knowing that You had at least considered her and not gone with her junior immediately was enough for Chika.

 

Clenching her fingers into fists, Chika forced a small smile onto her face, hoping that You wouldn’t be able to detect her disappointment, “It’s okay, You-chan. Go ahead. We’ll talk again next time.”

 

You still looked hesitant but nodded, dragged away by her junior who had bowed once in apology at Chika.

 

Before You was completely out of sight, she turned around for the last time, staring at Chika, her mouth opening slightly before returning her attention to her teammate.

 

Heart wrenching, Chika could only slowly watch her childhood friend’s figure quickly disappearing from her sight.

 

The next day, Chika found herself in a new worldline.

 

* * *

 

**viii.**

 

They weren’t always childhood friends.

 

It took Chika some time to accept this - and it hit her even harder than the knowledge that You didn’t always join Aqours in other worldlines.

 

And it was the realization that You wasn’t her childhood friend that Chika finally acknowledged that there was something wrong in this world - in this madness that she was dragged into.

 

She shouldn’t be here.

 

No matter how much the You here still retained her catchphrase " _Yousoro_ ”, how similar she was to the You she knew and loved, there was still a short barrier that she couldn’t overcome. You was still a high diver, she was still the ace of the school swim team, and, depending on the worldline, sometimes still part of Aqours, sometimes still her best friend - but she was more reserved with Chika than she was used to.

 

The You who would often get into trouble with her and stuck to her till the end from their childhood, who _gets_ her and would always reassure her with a radiant and bright smile that could melt all her troubles away - there was only a faint shadow of her You in the current one.

 

Each time You spoke was a constant reminder that she wasn’t _her You_.

 

She shouldn’t be here.

 

It stabbed at her heart - hearing her voice, seeing her familiar yet foreign smile, and _knowing_ that it wasn’t really the You she knew. At times, she felt as if she was going to choke, her heart clouded in uncertainties and mismatched memories. Her throat felt too tight; it was too stifling, _too suffocating._

 

In theory, they were kind of the same person. But at the same time, they weren’t.

 

She shouldn’t be here.

 

The current Takami Chika didn’t belong here.

 

* * *

 

**xi.**

 

Sometimes, Chika felt like bursting into tears.

 

She wanted to crawl into her bed and never leave, to hide away from the world.

 

_Why? Why her? When would this end?_

 

It was tiring - the process of trying to figure out any discrepancies after finding herself in yet another worldline. She was exhausted, tired and sick of it all. With each worldline, the sense of isolation continued to creep within her, its tendrils grabbing hold of her tight, clawing its way up into her mind.

 

Memories have been blurred in her mind - traces of conversations and lingering thoughts blended into each other, overlapping one another. There were times where she couldn’t even remember things that others had said or things that had happened. It made her head hurt, and sometimes, Chika stopped trying.

 

But she had to get a hold of herself. The ray of silver hope in an image of Watanabe You often fleeted across her mind.

 

She couldn’t give up. She had to get back to her own worldline, to where _You_ was, even if she had no idea how.

 

That was the only thought that spurred her on.

 

* * *

 

**xiii.**

 

“...” Chika barely looked at her alarm clock that had rung.

 

“Yet… another worldline.”

 

Chika gnashed her teeth, throwing her pillow over her own head, hoping to drown out the calls of the cicadas outside her house.

 

She didn’t go to school that day.

 

* * *

 

**xv.**

 

Once, she met someone like her.

 

Having been through many worldlines, Chika liked to think that she had gotten the hang of assimilating herself into the “Takami Chika” of the current worldline she was in. Watching her friends for cues, not saying unnecessary things that could arouse suspicions, she was getting better at it. It helped that the Chika in most wordlines were relatively similar to each other. The idea of jumping wordlines was also really absurd that Chika knew most people wouldn’t even begin to suspect it as a reason why she was acting oddly.

 

Until someone stopped her one day after Aqours’ club activities at the rooftop.

 

“ _Who are you?_ ” Kanan’s eyes were narrowed, her voice taut with controlled wariness, and her expression betrayed no other emotion. There was an edge in her voice that Chika recognized as one of unreserved protectiveness towards those she loved.

 

There was also something about seeing Kanan, her childhood friend who she knew as long as she knew You, coming up to her in a straightforward manner that made Chika flinch.

 

“I…” Chika swallowed, forcing a weak smile, “I’m Chika. What are you talking about, Kanan-chan?” Chika could feel cold sweat against her forehead and prayed that Kanan wouldn’t pry further.

 

“Let me rephrase that.” Kanan exhaled, pinching the bridge of her nose as she stared at Chika. " _Which_ Chika are you?”

 

“H-How?” All pretense fell as the color drained off Chika’s face, and she instinctively took a step back. How did Kanan know?

 

Chika must have looked fearful and beyond terrified because Kanan immediately softened her expression and sighed as she opted to lean against the rooftop railing.

 

“I can tell. How long did you think I’ve known you and You?” Kanan sighed, trying to relax her tensed shoulders. If Kanan had figured out, did that mean that You also-

 

“I’m like you,” Kanan’s voice cut through Chika’s thoughts. “I’m sure the others don’t know this but you and I aren’t from this…’world’,” Kanan continued, her eyes trained on the blue sky before her. Something glazed over her amethyst eyes. “You should return.”

 

“B-But I can't! I don't know how!”

 

Kanan turned to Chika in surprise but bit her inner lip as she considered. “I see…” Her voice grew kinder as she regarded Chika.

 

“Why… Why are you here, Kanan-chan?”

 

“Because Dia and Mari need me.” There was an inexplicable hard look in Kanan’s eyes, her lips pursed. Chika could tell that Kanan was not going to elaborate on it and she wisely chose not to probe further. As much as wanted to help her friend, she knew that that wasn’t her priority. As Kanan had said, she needed to return to her own worldline.

 

“How…” Kanan paused, hesitating slightly, as if afraid of the answer to the question she was about to ask, “How many worlds have you been through?”

 

(A chip in her outward calmness.)

 

Chika found herself faltering, as her hands began to shake.

 

“Fifteen.” Her voice came off quietly, barely a whisper and she averted her gaze. This was the fifteenth time she had crossed a worldline. The fifteenth time she had been experiencing the past one week over and over again, but in varying differences.

 

Chika heard a sharp intake of breath from the older girl. Saying it out loud, Chika finally realized the severity and incredulity of what she had been dragged into. It made it more real, and the gnawing fear that she had been desperately pushing down threatened to rise again. Her hands started to tremble once more.

 

“Chika...” Kanan’s voice was gentle, soothing, almost like the Kanan she knew from her worldline. Then again, they were sort of the same person, weren’t they?

 

There was a sense of familiarity and comfort in Kanan’s voice, in the older sister figure and her childhood friend’s voice that caused something in Chika to crack. It only took one word, packed with emotion and _understanding_ for her exterior to break, as all the whirlwind of feelings that she had kept locked in her chest came flooding out.

 

Her breath started to hitch, and a choked sob escaped from her lips.

 

Kanan’s arms were spread wide, the faintest hint of a smile crossing her features.

 

“Hug?”

 

Without thinking, Chika lunged into Kanan’s embrace. The older girl patted the younger girl’s back kindly and sympathetically, her heart going all out to the girl who looked so lost. Chika found herself clutching onto Kanan’s back, lips quivering. It was as if a small weight had been lifted off her shoulder - even though it doesn't change things.

 

Chika finally allowed herself to cry.

 

* * *

 

**xvii.**

 

Chika remembered once, when they were kids, she and You had tried to prank Kanan. They were still young and wild back then but their pranks were often immature and _dumb_. After all, they were just kids.

 

Chika had suggested putting pickled plums into Kanan’s lunch box when the older girl wasn’t looking - Kanan had disliked pickled plums (and still does) They had laughed at Kanan’s comically half disgusted, half tearful expression when she took a bite out of them.

 

(Of course, they had apologized later on - they felt guilty and were chased all over the area by Kanan.)

 

She and You often spent their time together, and there was nothing more that Chika loved to see than the You who looked so excited and gleeful gliding through the waters, making splashes as she sped past her peers to victory.

 

Whenever she surfaced, there’d be a huge grin solely reserved for her - it often made her heart skip a beat, her face slightly warm and then they’d head to You’s house for a celebratory feast.

 

When You’s father left for the sea, Chika made sure to spend more time with You. She liked dragging the girl into adventures, exploring places that seemed exciting to their young and impressionable minds. She’d try her best to wipe the frown from You’s face, to make her smile like she often did, to reassure her best friend, just like how You did whenever Chika was feeling down.

 

Watanabe You meant a lot to Takami Chika.

 

She was Chika’s light, her sun, an ever constant in her life.

 

You was bright, sometimes _too bright_ \- and at times she wondered how it was possible to shine as brightly as You did.

 

But sometimes, underneath the radiance, there was a hidden sense of insecurity, a feeling that Chika knew all too well.

 

Yet, that was what made You, _You_.

 

The girl who didn’t like worrying anyone, the girl who’s bad at being open with her feelings.

 

The girl who occupied her mind often, and the one who kept her going as she continued to struggle, even when she felt as if the whole world was crashing down upon her.

 

She’s the gradual and warming ray of sunlight that enveloped the skies once the dark clouds retreat and dispersed, the comforting breeze from the sea that made her feel safe and at home.

 

Her compass - the windrose that had always guided her.

 

* * *

 

**xxi.**

 

As time passed, Chika had tried to learn to enjoy whatever little moments she could between her friends, especially with You. It wasn’t the same (it never was), but it was one of the ways she managed to cope.

 

It hurt, but You was still You. There was no way Chika could ignore her for long, and often, she would drift back to the ashen-haired girl. It was always the bright smile, the gentle laughter, the cheeky grins that made it impossible for Chika to _not_ like You, in whichever worldline she came from. They were drawn to each other, no matter what fate threw at them. They were tied together, in every worldline.

 

However, the more she tried to engage herself, to make herself _feel_ , to rid herself of the stagnant state she was in, the worse she felt.

 

It was an endless loop.

 

* * *

 

**xxii.**

 

“Eh?” Chika blinked, wondering if she was hearing things.

 

“As I said, I think I figured out a way to get back to your original worldline.” Kanan crossed her arms and leaned against the wall by the stairs of the roof.

 

Chika’s eyes went wide, and she felt her heart skip a slight beat as she finally registered Kanan’s words.

 

_A way for her to go back…?_

 

“How-?” Chika struggled to find the right words, still unable to believe her ears.

 

She was feeling a sense of déjà vu and wondered if she was seeing the same Kanan from one of the previous wordlines.

 

“I’m the same Kanan from back then,” Kanan answered the question in Chika’s mind.

 

“I… see.” Chika didn’t really know what she should say. Didn’t Kanan choose to stay there because of Dia and Mari?

 

Kanan’s expression was solemn and serious, but she loosened the tension in shoulders, sighing as she did. “It was unintentional, but I’ve figured out how this works, or at least, how _part_ of this works.”

 

Kanan almost felt bad when she saw the way light had returned to Chika’s eyes because she knew that what she was going to say next was going to erase and dash the other girl’s hopes.

 

It wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to be tough, _arduous_ , but the Chika she knew - the very core of Takami Chika in every worldline - might have given up temporarily, but _never_ entirely.

 

Especially when it came to the things that she treasured.

 

Kanan walked towards Chika, and almost impulsively, she reached out and patted the orange head’s head gently.

 

Chika looked so tired, her eyes filled with exhaustion beyond her years, and yet, there was still a spark that remained.

 

Kanan felt her heart twist but tried to squash it down as she leaned forward, and only pausing momentarily, Kanan finally whispered against Chika’s ears.

 

* * *

 

**???.**

 

It takes her many tries, _many_ wild attempts that the process and strings of wordlines had become a large blur to her. But finally, _finally_ , she manages to return back to her time, back to her home, back to _her._

 

Chika finds herself by You’s door.

 

“Chika-chan?” You’s voice is gentle and soft, blanketing her in a familiar yet nostalgic warmth that makes her breath hitch slightly as her heart soars in joy.

 

She is back. You is right in front of her - _her You._ That is all that matters.

 

No You-less Aqours, no You that isn’t her childhood friend.

 

Chika takes a shaky step forward, overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions just as the first drop of tears begins to fall.

 

Maybe You doesn’t understand what’s going on - maybe it seems a little weird that Chika is suddenly standing by her door, in tears, her expression contorting to one of both pain and relief at the same time, but You doesn’t question it.

 

She senses that something is up, and suspects that it might have related to the strange sense of anxiety that she has been feeling the entire day.

 

But seeing Chika in front of her finally quells and stamps out the last bit of unease within her.

 

“Welcome back, Chika-chan.” You smiles, wrapping her arm around Chika who is now sobbing quietly into her shoulder.

 

“I’m... home,” Chika chokes out in between her sobs and You only tightens her hold of Chika against her, caressing the other girl’s hair soothingly.

 

“I missed you.”

**Author's Note:**

> youchika + aus aren’t my forte but this is smth i’ve been thinking about after watching steins;gate a long while back (though the premise is totally different here) and when i saw the prompts, i finally decided push through with it 
> 
> regarding iii. and iv. - it’s not that You wanted to be distant from Chika; what i had in mind was You being too busy with her swim team and grew distant from Chika, and then You wasn’t sure how she should bridge the gap b/w them, coupled with her own insecurities after seeing Chika tgt, presumably having fun with Aqours, hence the awkwardness.


End file.
